Annunciator



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. A. VANDERPOOL.

ANNUNGIATOR.

No. 406,377. Patented July 2, 1889.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A.YA. VANDERPOOL.

ANNUNGIATOR.

Patented July 2, 18`89.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-'Sheet 3.

A. A. VANDBRPOOL.

l ANNUNGIATOR.

No. 406,377. Patented July 2, 1889.

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UNITED STATESl PATENT OFFICE.

ALBION ALEXANDER VANDERPOOL, OF NEWARK, NEI/V JERSEY.'

ANNUNCl-ATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,377, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed October 4, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBION ALEXANDER VANDERrooL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annunciators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of f the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an annunciator which will obviate the trouble of replacing drops, slides, and like plates having the indication marks on the face thereof, such as is required in the devices now in ordinary use; to reduce the cost of construction and simplify the device; to render the same more durable; to limit the motive,

force required for operating the parts, and particularly to provide an annunciator that will be more perfectly automatic in its operations.

The invention consists in the improved an-A nunciator and in the arrangements and combinations of parts thereof, substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings embraced in three sheets, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure l is a front elevation of the improved annunciator with the bell removed and the face-plate partly broken away to show certain interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is a section of the same, taken on line so. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of a shaft or spindle provided with a cam of peculiar construction adapted to cooperate with an armature-arm (when electricity is the motive force) in throwing an indicating disk, plate, or hand behind the desired aperture or opening in the face-plate, as will be hereinafter described. Fig. 4 is a view of the cam detached from said shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail View of a bell-hammer wheel or disk. Fig. 6 is a section of the same, taken on liney. Fig. 7 is a section on line z.' Fig.

i making the call.

SerialNo. 287,236. (No model.)

ings are preferably glazed, t-he glass being.

held in said openingsin anysuitable manner. Upon the said panes are preferably painted the numbers q, or other marks or characters, indicating the location of the person Insteadof glass the panes may beofisiny glass and the numbers or indicatingletters l may be cast and set over the apertures, or the apertures themselves may be in the forml of numbers or letters, like an ordinary stencil..

Furthermore, when. an ordinary indicatinghand is employed, said numbers may be'simply painted or otherwise formed on the face of the annunciator. lVhen panes of glass are employed, the edges of the openings b may be countersunk, as in Fig. 2, so that said panes will be flush with the face-plate.

Within the case or behind theAface-plate ct is arranged a series of magnets g,fcorrespond ing with the rooms of the house'or other location from which it is desired to make the calls, said magnets being' on a divided circuit in any ordinary manner. each magnet is an armature h, which is preferably in the form of a lever, bein g fulcrumed, as at t', at any suitable point withinthe case, and provided at the end opposite the fulcrum with an arm j,which extends toward a center shaft 7e When the magnet is magnetized and attracts the armature, said arm engages a cam Z, of peculiar form or construction, fixed to said center shaft and adapted to rotate therewith. The said cam is shown more clearly in Figs. 3, 1i, and 1i, where it will be seen that said cam is in the form of a collar, through the center opening of which the shaft passes. One end of the cam or collar is In connection with ICO "hand, as desired.

magnets g. From the point p the inelines extend oppositely until they meet again at the opposite side of the shaft, and thus the series of arms may engage either of the inclines or pass to either side of the point, and by their movement toward the magnetbe effective in turning the shaft and indicating- The return action of the arms is effected without iniiuencing the cam or the other arms therearound. As the armature is drawn by the magnet, the arm j engages the incline ot and causes the shaft to revolve until the said arm j passes into the recess m. The incline is so great where the arm j iirst engages the same that the shaft is caused to turn with but a slight exertion of power, and thus but a small amount of magnet force is required to secure eifective results. Upon thc said shaft 7c. is arranged an indicating-arm o or pointer adapted to cooperate with the indicating marks or characters q, to show the location of the person making the call. The parts are so adjusted that when the arm j arrives at the recess m the arm or pointer is brought opposite the indicating-marks q, as will be understood. The arm j is prevented from movin glaterall y by means of a suitable guide or holder r. Said holder consists of an annular piece or ring having a series of slots s therein corre spending to the arms j, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 2 and 8.

It is understood that the magnets are arranged in a series adjacent to the apertures l) and that the armatures and arms j extend in a corresponding series toward the center shaft, as in Fig. S. Thus when any one of the magnets is magnetized and its armaturearm -j moves, as above described, the center shaft turns, and with it the indicating-hand, which last rests at the desired indicatingmark until another call is made, when the indicating-hand passes from the last indicatingmark and passes, under the operation of the second arm j, to another imlicating-mark.

I prefer ordinarily, when the indicatingmarks arer painted on transparent glass, to provide the indicating-hand with a white or otherwise properly-colored surface 30, contrasting with the color of the indicatingmarks, which said surface passes behind the said indicating-marks and brings out the said marks prominently into view, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

To call the attention of the attendant to the annuneiator, I have provided the same with a gong or bell t, which I prefer to arrange on the outside of the case at the center of the face-plate, as indicated in Fig. 2. Said bell is struck by a hammer u, carried by a lever u', fulcrumed, as at 2, on the faceplate of the case. lVithin the case is arranged a wheel 3 for actuating the bell-hammer, said wheel being provided with a pintle 4, which extends through a slot 5 in the said faceplate and engages the lever to cause the same to sound an alarm. The wheel 3 is given a sufficient movement on the center shaft k by a small lever G, fulcrumed on the face-plate a., or an attachment thereto, and having one arm 7, Fig. G, entering a slot or recess 8 in the wheel,and the other arm 9 extending beneath a shaft 10, sliding longitudinally in bearings 11 and 12, Fig. 2, and engaging said arm 9 at one end and at the opposite end engaging the armature-lever 7i.; so that when the said lever h is moved by the magnet the said shaft will cause the said lever G to give a slight pivotal movement to the wheel 3, so that the latter will cause a movement of the hammer-lever and sound the alarm, as described. The slight movement of the wheel 3 is sufficient to separate contact-points 13 and let, Figs. 5 and 7, whichare held normally together, and complete the circuit. Thus when a break is made in the circuit the leverarmature t is allowed to drop from the magnet.

The course of the electric current (so called) is as follows: From the battery the current, enters the an1iunciator-say at 1G, Fig. 2 and passes through the wires of the magnet g, magnetizing the same, so that it influential in attracting thearmature 7L, as described. From thence the current passes into the frame or body of the device, and from thence to the wheel 3 and contact-point 14 The contact-point 13, which is insulated from the frame, next receives the current, and the lat ter passes back through the wire 17 to the battery.

The arrangement of the wires with relation to push-buttons and to receive calls from various rooms of a building, is as usual, and it is deemed unnecessary to specifically describe the same.

In operating the device, upon completing the circuit by pushing on a push-button or other suitable device at the room or point distant from the annunciaior, the armaturelever 7L is attracted by magnet g, so that the IOO ITO

armyl is caused to engage the incline fn, of the y cam on the center shaft 71.. This causes the said shaft to revolve until the said arm arrives at the recess m. This movement is sufficient to bring the pointer around to the indicating-mark to indicate to the attendant the location of the person making the call. The recess m allows of a slight movement of the arm j therein. The lever is vibrated under the influence of the ringing mechanism` so that no effect is produced on the indicating pointer or hand o. The action of the armat-ure-arm at the close of its movement, under the influence of the magnet, produces a longitudinal movement of the shaft 10, which acts on the lever G to give a slight pivotal movement of the wheel, which movement is transmitted to the bell-hammer through the media of the pintle 4- and lever t'. The return movements are accomplished automatically under the influence of springs 17 and 1S.

The arm ly' may be weighted, as at 19, to'secure greater momentum where the magnet atn tracts the armature-lever to secure a more effeet-ive operation of the arm j on the cam.

'lo secure a continuous ringing the circuit-breaking devices 13 and 14, Figs.,2, 5, and 7 are provided, which break the current, so that the currentis demagnetized-that is to say, When the arm j and shaft 10 cause the Wheel 3 to revolve under the action of the magnet the contact-points are separated, the circuit broken, and the magnet demagnetized. The springs are then allowed to act to bring the points again into normal contact, and thus the contact is completed, the magnet again magnetized, andA the operation repeated, all as Will be understood.

While my improvement contemplates the use of any suitable pointer'or indicatinghand, I prefer the one shown, in which the hand o carries a white or other disk 30, of suitable contrasting color, which said disk lies behind the figure or other indicating character, bringing the latter out in bold relief, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 1.

Vhile I prefer electricity as the motive force, I may employ other forces, as Will be understood upon reference to Fig. 9, Where the arm j carried by the lever is in one case operated by a pneumatic plunger 31 in any suitable manner, and in-the other case the said leveris shown to be operated by mechanical means, to be operated bythe hand of the person making the call, an ordinary bellcrank 32 and Wire-pull 33 being shown.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In an annunciator, the combination of a center shaftcarrying an indicating-hand or indicator, a cam having' opposite inclines, and a series of arms adapted to engage said cam and revolve or turn vthe said shaft and arm thereon, a slotted guide or holder r, and suit able means, as described, for opera-ting said arms, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an annunciator, the combination of a shaft carrying an indicator, and a cam having opposite inclines n terminating in a point, and a series of arms adapted to be operated by the person making the call, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

responding opening, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In combination with the indicator or hand 0, a cam revolving With said hand and provided With inclines n, a point p, and a recess fm, a series of armature-arms engaging said cam, a bell-Wheel, and means, substantially as described, for transmitting the motion of the said arms to said Wheel, abell and hammer, and means, substantially as described, for transmitting the motion of said Wheel to the said hammer, a battery, conducting-Wires, and magnets, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination, in an annunciator, With a series of magnets and armatures, a central shaft carrying a cam having inclines n and a recess m, a bell, and a circuit breaker or closer operated by said armatures to secure a succession of strokes on the bell, a battery and conducting-Wires, all said parts being arranged and combined substantially as and for the purposes set forth. l

6. In an annunciator, the combination of a case d, having a bell and hammerthereon and apertures therein, with transparent panes With characters thereon in said apertures, a centralshaft k, cam-lever Z, a series of armature-levers h engaging -said cam, a' series of magnets g, shaft 10, springs 18, levers 6, Wheel 3, contact-point 13 14, and pintle 4, all said parts being arranged and adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 29thA day of September, 1888.

ALBIOT ALEXANDER VANDERPOOL.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. H. BALDWIN. 

